Chapter 62: Two Missions And A Territory To Secure.
The screen finally loaded.
Neve stared at it as two mission blocks appeared in front of him, glowing with the particular brightness that meant they were important.
{MISSION 1: Ensure the Tribe’s Survival Through Winter}
{MISSION 2: Build Strong Bonds with Your Mates}
He read through the first one carefully.
Ensure the tribe’s survival through winter. That meant both the leopard tribe and the tiger tribe, who were staying. It also meant Aldric and his sister, and everyone who was currently in the territory and relying on the resources available.
It sounded simple on the surface.
But Neve had learned quickly that simple was rarely actually simple. It depended on what comfort level people expected. If they were used to living rough, then survival meant basic shelter and food. If they were used to something better, then survival meant recreating that standard, or they would be unhappy.
He did not know how the tiger tribe or the bear siblings lived at home.
If it were different from the leopard tribe setup, the mission would be considerably harder.
He scrolled to the second mission.
{Build Strong Bonds with Your Mates: Deepen connections with Cael, Sorin, Kael, Ryker, and Aldric during the long winter.}
Neve counted them out on his fingers.
Cael. Sorin. Kael. Ryker. Aldric.
Five mates are mentioned in the mission objective.
He had bonded with Cael. He had a forty per cent chance with Sorin. Kael was somewhere in the mid-range. Ryker was at forty-four per cent. Aldric was at twenty per cent.
That meant he had six mates total when you counted Vaelthorn.
Six out of ten.
He had thought it would be harder to find ten mates. He had thought it would take the full five years of the main mission to collect them all. But he was already halfway there without even trying particularly hard.
He scrolled down to see the rewards.
If he completed both missions, he would level up to level five. That meant he would finally be able to unlock the Market, which meant ramen.
If he failed one, he would only get one level.
If he failed both, nothing.
There was also an additional reward listed.
+3 to all stats across the board.
Neve closed the screen and stood up from where he had been sitting.
He stretched his hands above his head and thought about what he actually had in terms of resources.
He had enough food for himself and Cael. Good food. Variety. The roasted meat, he thought, was popular. But he did not have enough to share generously with everyone else who was staying through the winter.
The leopard and tiger tribes would have their own stocks. They would have hunted and preserved food before winter arrived. But for special meals, for morale, for the kind of comfort food that made people feel cared for, he needed more.
An idea formed.
"Ah, I see," he said to the empty kitchen.
He already had a general idea of what to do. He could make it work. But he needed to rest first. The festival had exhausted him. And everyone else needed to sleep off the celebration, too.
Tomorrow, he could start planning properly.
.
.
Cael was sitting in Soren’s cave when Gideon was finishing up checking their father’s condition.
Soren was drinking the herbs that Gideon had prepared for him, the taste apparently terrible based on the face he was making.
"You should sleep after talking to Cael," Gideon said, standing up from where he had been examining their father’s resting form.
"Sure. You should rest, too," Soren said. He set the herb drink down with relief.
Gideon nodded and tapped Cael’s shoulder before heading out of the cave, leaving the two brothers alone.
Soren looked at his younger brother. "What is it you wish to talk about? Is it father?"
"No," Cael said. "Father is well. Gideon already checked on him."
Cael exhaled in relief. The stress of the last few hours had been building on him. Knowing their father was stable helped.
He looked at Soren directly. "So what did you call me here for?"
Soren’s expression turned serious. "The chiefs of the other tribes made a suggestion."
Cael’s entire body went on alert. "What suggestion?"
"They want Neve to come visit their tribes," Soren said.
Cael’s fist clenched. He pressed it against the ground hard enough that the stone around it cracked slightly.
"How could they suggest that? Did you reject them?" he demanded.
"Yes, I did," Soren answered. He was smiling slightly, like he found something amusing about Cael’s reaction. "You and Neve are really fated to be. He reacted the exact same way."
Cael wanted to smile at that because it was clearly meant to be comforting. But he could not understand why other tribes would want Neve enough to make a formal request.
Soren seemed to read his mind because he continued speaking.
"They said it’s to build bonds with Neve so that the dragon king won’t burn them," Soren said. His expression was calm and measured. "And they claim that the leopard tribe is too small to protect him properly."
Cael smirked. The claim was insulting in its transparency.
"Liars," he said flatly. "What did they finally decide on?"
"They’ll be sending representatives to the leopard tribe after winter ends," Soren said. His face became more serious. "That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you about this."
Cael waited.
"We’ll have to secure our territory," Soren said. "Make sure no one trespasses or tries anything unexpected. Who knows what outcasts might do if they hear about Neve? There could be kidnapping attempts."
"I agree," Cael said. He was already calculating in his head. Warriors posted at boundaries. Regular patrols. Someone always watching the cave. "Since the winter festival is over, rumours about Neve will spread. Enemies will start coming. We need to be ready."
He stood up from where he had been sitting.
"Don’t worry, leave it to me," he said. "I’ll deploy the men tomorrow, and we can start building the defences. Strategic positions. Watch rotations."
Soren smiled and waved a hand. "Don’t work too hard. You should also try to guard Neve yourself. Personal protection."
Cael looked away.
He thought about the morning at the festival. About what Ryker had said to him related to the many beastmen around Neve.
"Don’t worry," Cael said, and his voice was steady. "He’ll be safe. There are a lot of people who will make sure he doesn’t get hurt."
He said it without any particular inflexion.
But underneath the words was the specific understanding that Cael was one of those people. That his position as Neve’s first mate, as the one who had found him and brought him home, meant something.
That whatever bonds Neve was building with others, Cael would be the one who protected all of them.
Soren smiled like he understood exactly what Cael meant underneath the statement.
"Good," he said. "Then I can rest easier knowing you’re handling this."
Cael nodded and turned to leave the cave.
As he walked back toward his own space, his mind was already working through security measures and patrol schedules and the specific vulnerable points around the leopard tribe territory that would need reinforcement before spring arrived with its chaos and its representatives and its complications.
He smiled slightly as he walked through the snow.
’Seems like I’ll need a lot of backups.’